Mexican police catch 129 migrants in truck bound for U.S

Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:04pm EDT

Mexican police catch 129 migrants in truck bound for U.S

MEXICO CITY

(Reuters) - Mexican police detained 129 Central American migrants packed into a freight truck who were planning to cross illegally into the United States, a security official said on Wednesday.

The apprehension - one of the biggest in recent months - took place during a routine inspection of a truck on a highway between Puebla and Mexico City in central Mexico, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mexico has stepped up efforts to intercept illegal immigrants since a crisis flared up last year caused by the record numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central American nations apprehended trying to enter the United States.

Twenty of the migrants caught were minors, the official said. According to local media reports, most of the group were from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, all of which struggle with gang violence and widespread poverty.

The three nations were home to the vast majority of the child migrants stopped on the U.S. border last year. Their governments are negotiating a plan with the United States to boost economic growth to help stem the exodus.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0N623R20150415